shouts, and afterward by frequent accounts that the town was in possession of the Romans, sent forward their cavalry, and hastened in larger numbers to that quarter. As each first came he stood beneath the wall, and increased the number of his countrymen in action. When a great multitude of them had assembled, the matrons, who a little before were stretching their hands from the walls to the Romans, began to beseech their countrymen, and, after the Gallic fashion, to show their dishevelled hair, and bring their children into the public view. Neither in position nor in numbers was the contest an equal one to the Romans; at the same time, being exhausted by running and the long continuation of the fight, they could not easily withstand fresh and vigorous troops.

Cæsar, when he perceived that his soldiers were fighting on unfavorable ground, and that the enemy's forces were increasing, being alarmed for the safety of his troops, sent orders to Titus Sextius, one of his lieutenants, whom he had left to guard the smaller camp, to lead out his cohorts quickly from the camp, and post them at the foot of the hill, on the right wing of the enemy; that if he should see our men driven from the ground, he should deter the enemy from following too closely. He himself, advancing with the legion a little. from that place where he had taken his post, awaited the issue of the battle.

Our soldiers, being hard pressed on every side, were dislodged from their position, with the loss of forty-six centurions; but the tenth legion, which had been posted in reserve on ground a little more level, checked the Gauls in their eager pursuit. It was supported by the cohorts of the thirteenth legion, which, being led from the smaller camp, had occupied the higher ground. The legions, as soon as they reached the plain, halted and faced the enemy. Vercingetorix led back his men from the part of the hill within the fortifications. On that day little less than seven hundred of the soldiers were missing.

On the next day, Cæsar, having called a meeting, censured the rashness and avarice of his soldiers, "In that they had judged for themselves how far they ought

highest functions of State, which he exercised with great moderation for four years. Among his most notable public acts was the reformation of the Roman calendar, which was carried into effect in 46 B.C. A conspiracy was formed against him, the leading conspirators being Brutus and Cassius; and Cæsar was assassinated in the forum. on March 15, 44 B.C., at the age of fifty-six, according to the most common reckoning, but perhaps two years more.

Cæsar was a voluminous author. The titles of numerous works of his have been preserved; the only ones, however, of which more than fragments remain are the Commentaries on the Gallic and the Civil Wars, which are universally esteemed as masterpieces of their kind. The Commentary on the Civil Wars, however, as we have it, is quite fragmentary, and some doubts exist as to its genuineness. The life of Cæsar has been written by Plutarch and Suetonius, among the ancients, and by Napoleon III. and Froude among the moderns. He, of course, occupies a large space in all the Histories of Rome which treat of his period, notably in those of Merivale, Long, and Mommsen. The extracts which we give are wholly from the Gallic War, the translation being that of Bohn.

BRITAIN AND ITS INHABITANTS.

The interior portion of Britain is inhabited by those of whom they say that it is handed down by tradition that they were born in the island itself: the maritime portion by those who passed over from the country of the Belge for the purpose of plunder and making war; almost all of whom are called by the names of those

states from which, being sprung, they went thither, and, having waged war, continued there and began to cultivate the lands. The number of the people is countless, and their buildings exceedingly numerous, for the most part very like those of the Gauls; the number of cattle is great. They use either brass or iron rings, determined at a certain weight, as their money. Tin is produced in the midland regions; in the maritime, iron; but the quantity of it is small; they employ brass, which is imported. There, as in Gaul, is timber of every description, except beech and fir. They do not regard it lawful to eat the hare and the cock and the goose; they, however, breed them for amusement and pleasure. The climate is more temperate than in Gaul, the colds being less severe.

The island is triangular in its form, and one of its sides is opposite to Gaul. One angle of this side, which is in Kent, whither almost all ships from Gaul are directed, looks to the east; the lower looks to the south. This side extends about five hundred miles. Another side lies towards Spain and the west, on which part is Ireland-less, as is reckoned, than Britain, by one-half; but the passage from it into Britain is of equal distance with that from Gaul. In the middle of this voyage is an island, which is called Mona; many smaller islands besides are supposed to lie there, of which islands some have written that at the time of the winter solstice it is night there for thirty consecutive days. We, in our inquiries about that matter, ascertained nothing except that, by accurate measurements with the clepsydra, we perceived the nights to be shorter there than on the continent. The length of this side, as their account states, is seven hundred miles. The third side is toward the north, to which portion of the island no land is opposite; but an angle of that side looks principally toward Germany. This side is considered to be eight hundred miles in length. Thus the whole island is about two thousand miles in circumference.

The most civilized of all these nations are they who inhabit Kent, which is entirely a maritime district, nor do they differ much from the Gallic customs. Most of the inland inhabitants do not sow corn, but live on milk

and flesh, and are clad with skins. All the Britons, indeed, dye themselves with woad, which occasions a bluish color, and thereby have a more terrible appearance in fight. They wear their hair long, and have every part of their body shaved except their head and upper lip. Ten and even twelve have wives common to them, and particularly brothers among brothers, and parents among their children; but if there be any issue by these wives, they are reputed to be the children of those by whom respectively each was first espoused when a virgin.-Commentaries, V., 12–14.

THE BRITONS' MODE OF WARFARE.

Their mode of fighting with their chariots is this: Firstly, they drive about in all directions and throw their weapons, and generally break the ranks of the enemy with the very dread of their horses and the noise of their wheels, and when they have worked themselves in between the troops and horse, leap from their chariots and engage on foot. The charioteers in the meantime withdraw some little distance from the battle and so place themselves with the chariots that, if their masters are overpowered by the number of the enemy, they may have a ready retreat to their own troops. Thus they display in battle the speed of horse together with the firmness of infantry; and by daily practice and exercise attain to such expertness that they are accustomed, even on a declining and steep place, to check their horses at full speed, and manage and turn them in an instant, and run along the pole, and stand on the yoke, and thence betake themselves with the greatest celerity to their chariots again.-Commentaries IV., 23.

THE POLITY OF THE GAULS.

The nation of all the Gauls is extremely devoted to superstitious rites; and on that account they who are troubled with unusually severe diseases, and they who are engaged in battles and dangers either sacrifice men as victims, or vow that they will sacrifice them, and em